My first lost deer

[sdpeb1]

Well I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later. I won't go into the details but it was a really bad shot. I've always responded to such post saying "it happens" " don't feel bad,it's a primitive style weapon" etc etc. I guess I wasn't ready for just how bad I felt. It's been over a month now and I'm now just getting ready to pick up the bow again. I told a friend about it, he knows how much I practice and knows I only take the best ethical shots at animals and he told me that it was to bad being part of making an animal suffer but that animals suffer all the time in nature,starvation,coyotes,wolves, desease etc etc and that I was part of nature and that I shouldn't quit traditional archery because of this. So now I've got my resolve back again and will work even harder in preparation for next season.- Steve

[longbowben]

Glad to here that. FAILURE MAKES YOU TRY HARDER.  

[doug g]

Steve, Glad to see ya picked the bow back up. It makes you feel lousy losing any animal, and as you know many of us have lost an animal at one time or another. Bad shots do happen, you just have to know that you made your best effort to find the animal. Good luck with your hunting!

[Rick P]

It happens and primitive weapon are not an excuse for being ill prepared in the field, if you can't be consistent stay home!

However that dose not seem to be the case here. No one is perfect and bad shots do happen. I have no doubt you made every atempt to find the deer. You had an emotional reaction, apparently a strong one, good! Welcome to the ranks of the few, the true hunters. The fact you had enough respect and compassion for the game you chase to feel regret from your failure is admirable and sets you above the sport killers. Congrats!

[Arwin]

The fact that you feel remorse is enough for me, I too never look at it like "it's just an animal". Great to see you get back on the horse, it can be tough.  

[blueslfb]

I feel your pain! I shot a nice fat doe this year and hit her square in the shoulder.  I rushed the shot and did not take my time and the doe paid the price.  Myself and a friend spent 6hrs on hands and knees following specks of blood the next morning and did not recover her.  This was the first deer I lost since shooting trad and it sucks, big time!!!! My only redemption was I found my arrow and it looked like I only got about 2" of penetration. Still I was really disapointed in my lack of skill.

Keep at it and know that it can and does happen and do everything in your power to avoid it.

[sdpeb1]

I just want to say thanks for words of encouragement. My only regret I have in hindsight is I didn't spend enough time practicing out of a stand. On this particular shot I had to crouch down slightly to clear a branch so I will working on shots other than just the perfect upright shots. Maybe that contributed to my unusally poor shot, I'm thinking so. It was a very large buck and maybe the adrenaline was a little high but I really don't think so because I remember calming myself down before the shot. The fact that I don't think I've ever missed that much at that distance tells me it had to be a combination of the two things and I'm leaning more towards not spending enough time practicing from a stand.- Steve

[NDTerminator]

Happens to everyone who hunts with any kind of bow. All you can do is cowboy up, assess what went wrong, and do it better next time...

Wished I lived in the area.  I trained my lab Josie to blood trail and when all else fails she has racked up nearly a 100% recovery rate...

[sdpeb1]

If  I lived in where I deer hunt I would definately have a trained tracking dog. I love to train dogs and it would be a blast to teach one to blood trail.- Steve

[Mudd]

I understand and I appreciate your willingness to become vulnerable about your feelings. Not everyone can do that, it takes courage.
I have an acquaintance whose attitude.. well it just "sux" IMO because to him "it's just another deer in the woods". I stopped hunting with him over it. It cost me some premium hunting area seeing how he was the landowner but I've never regretted my choice.

Thank you so very much!
God bless,Mudd

PS I know there will be some that are going to feel uncomfortable with the "touchy, feely" nature of this thread. I hope they can forgive me and move on.

[SteveB]

It happens - and you admitted it.
I often wonder when I see all the posts about multiple misses, how many don't. I can't believe that anyone misses multiple times and then goes directly to making kill shots. Or that anyone missing always does so cleanly. But many posts seem to strongly imply this - either kills or miss cleanly.

I am NOT suggesting that everyone should post all unrecovered animals. This would not be a good topic for public discussions. BUT, all the talk of misses (apparently always clean)strongly suggests that a lot of wounding may go on and we would be far better served not to so cheerfully (as many seem to)not discuss missing game especially as if it is routine.

[Mike Lee]

That is the main thing, to work harder and figure out what went wrong.There is a big difference shooting at a target when your calm and shooting at a live animal that can move at any time and your heart is pumping. It has happened to me also. Do your best.

Mike Lee

[woodbender]

keep shooting misses and bad hits are just part of it. the journy in archery is what it is all about,

[jcprintz]

If you bow hunt long enough it will happen. Harden your resolve and good luck next season.

[SS Snuffer]

Time heals.
Glad you feel better about it.

[wollelybugger]

Talked to my buddy who owns the property I hunt and he found two dead deer from gun season. One shot right through the boiler room and the other gut shot. If they don't drop than a lot of hunters don't follow up. Happens to the best of us.

[Rick P]

Wolleybugger

Anyone who doesn't make every effort to recover game once it has been shot is not a hunter they are gutless scum! Sick SOB's who need psychiatric help, in other words sport killers! Don't you dare lump me and others who actually have respect for the game we chase and the traditions of hunting in with these sacks of poo by calling them hunters! In fact in most states including Alaska that behavior is illegal so you could also use poacher or criminal, not hunter!

[Rick P]

Originally posted by Mudd:
I understand and I appreciate your willingness to become vulnerable about your feelings. Not everyone can do that, it takes courage.
I have an acquaintance whose attitude.. well it just "sux" IMO because to him "it's just another deer in the woods". I stopped hunting with him over it. It cost me some premium hunting area seeing how he was the landowner but I've never regretted my choice.

Thank you so very much!
God bless,Mudd

PS I know there will be some that are going to feel uncomfortable with the "touchy, feely" nature of this thread. I hope they can forgive me and move on.

Thanks for doing whats right. I too have had to break off friendships do to poor woodsmanship and flat out disgusting behavior. It baffles me how so many can be decent folks till you put a bow or rifle in there hand. I'm stunned how far from the ethics and traditions of hunting the hunting community has gone.

Those who are uncomfortable about this post need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask if they are truly a hunter. I'll tell you this much Mr Peterson hit the nail on the head in the his commentary about hunting shows and today's "hunter." Way too many horn porn addicted slobbering fools out there who have little or no knowledge about woodsmanship beyond how to climb a tree and kill.

[weezy]

It will sooner or latter happen to everyone. When it stops bothering you is when there is a problem. Good luck and hang in there. I've never harvested an animal that I didn't feel a little remorse.
Bob

[Rick P]

Originally posted by SteveB:
I am NOT suggesting that everyone should post all unrecovered animals. This would not be a good topic for public discussions. BUT, all the talk of misses (apparently always clean)strongly suggests that a lot of wounding may go on and we would be far better served not to so cheerfully (as many seem to)not discuss missing game especially as if it is routine. [/QB]

Eventually we all will be unable to recover a game animal, so far I've been lucky. I do agree that with all the talk of missing there has to be allot more wounding going on than folks are fessing up to. I for one call these folks out, if you don't have the dedication to put in the necessary practice stay home! You have no more right to be a hunter than you do a NBA player. It takes hard work and dedication to become a hunter and not everyone will be able to do it. The non hunting community will not tolerate for long a bunch of blood thirsty thugs, if you can't stay home based on your own sense of right and wrong do so for the sake of hunting's future. No one is helped by needless suffering and when witnessed by the public in general it gives all of us a black eye. In short stay home and practice till you can be proficient!